Research teams
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Training: students can apply for the oncoming courses and workshops >Read more
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News
CNCR scientist Heidi de Wit receives NWO-MEERVOUD grant
Principal Investigator of CNCR’s Secretory Vesicle Trafficking research team awarded with €340.000 and guaranteed tenure track appointment.>Read more
Genetics of the brain
The increasing prevalence for neurodegenerative disease in our aging population poses a growing problem for healthcare.
>Read moreThe synaptic interactome
Many brain disorders are to be considered 'synaptic diseases" or 'synaptopathies' and cellular function of synapses.
>Read moreFunctional genomic of the synapse
The synapse is a specialized structure between two neurons at which basal neuronal communication takes place.
>Read moreSynaptic plasticity
In neuropsychiatric disorders associated with reduced cognitive abilities, such as age-related cognitive decline, but also mental retardation, the ability of synapses to alter their strength is strongly affected.
>Read moreTransmission and behavioral function
The etiology of many disorders including age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease is still poorly understood.
>Read more
Research teams
Transfer of knowledge
The ability to have integrative multidisciplinary research is indispensable for a systematic genetic approach with functional significance and requires transfer-of-knowledge within each research team but also between research teams. Researchers will rotate among institutes, strengthening the cohesion within the research teams of the BrainTrain Consortium.
To ensure integration of the individual research teams in the overall research programme, there is substantial transfer of knowledge between the 5 research teams.
Based on the genetics and genomics studies performed by the research teams: Genetics of the brain, The synaptic interactome and Synaptic plasticity, several human and rodent candidate genes linked to brain disease will be identified.
In addition, research team Genetics of the brain and Synaptic plasticity will provide candidate genes that influence neural network properties. From this set of integrated data, viral vectors will be made for these genes.
Research team Functional genomic of the synapse, Synaptic plasticity and Transmission and behavioral function will use this viral vector for interference studies of gene expression at either the synaptic and network level or behavioral level.
Annual meetings and other shared activities, guarantee prominent knowledge transfer between researchers within the network but also exchange of knowledge with external experts in the field.
The figure shows the organization and research focus of the academic and industrial network partners within the 5 research teams.
Each research team contains 3 students hosted by each of the 3 network partners.
Arrows indicate knowledge transfer that takes place between the 5 research teams among network partner institutes, resulting in an assembly ‘train’ of data exchange.